What Is Saving Faith? ...

"... [A]nd a large number of priest became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7, NIV).

"Through him we have received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from or his Name's sake" (Romans 1:5, NKV).
"... [S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith" (Rom. 16:26,NIV).

You gotta have faith! How big is your God, not how big is your faith? It depends on the strength of our God, not our faith. Without faith, you cannot please God! (Cf. Heb. 11:6). A real, genuine faith is one that grows and is not static or going nowhere. True faith consists of right knowledge (you cannot subscribe to heresy), assent or agreement, and trust or reliance on it. We don't have blind faith, for we have sound reasons to believe and don't believe in spite of the evidence. We don't believe something we know isn't true--there is ample and compelling circumstantial evidence for the open-minded and willing person--no one can say there is lack of evidence.


We don't have faith in faith, but in the object of Christ (the object saves not the faith). Faith is a verb and entails action: "By faith Abraham obeyed ..." and so forth. It is a matter of the will--it is volitional. We choose to believe of our own ("If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know..." (cf. John 7:17, ESV), but God quickens faith in us and makes us alive--dead people cannot believe!

We must take the leap of faith from the seed planted. Faith is not a work (if it were we would have merit before God, but we are not saved by works). If it were a work, we would foul it up somehow! The faith you have is the faith you show: Paul says, "I'll show you my works by my faith," while James says, "I'll show you my faith by my works." We are saved by faith alone, according to the Reformation doctrine, but not by a faith that is alone. Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it, as we are saved unto works, not by works.

The theological axiom applies: "Only he who is obedient believes, only he who believes is obedient." Obedience is the only true test of faith and they are correlated in Hebrews 3:18 and John 3:36. The obedience of faith separates the bogus profession of faith and the reality of faith as seen in Acts 6:7 ("... [M]any of the priests became obedient to the faith") and Romans 1:5. You must trust and obey! (Mark 10:9 says, "What God has joined together let not man put asunder.")

Faith is given, not achieved--it is the gift of God and we do not conjure it up. It is the work of God as His gift, but we must use it and take the leap. "... [H]e greatly helped those who through grace had believed" (Acts 18:27, ESV). But there is a difference between head belief and heart belief: the demons also believe and tremble! The first step to faith is a positive attitude expressed in listening, then understanding with the mind, then believing with the heart, and finally trusting and relying on will or volition. The result: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13, ESV).

What is the progression of faith? Openness to the truth (unbelievers reject the truth), acceptance of the gospel message, willingness to obey God's will in relinquishment, surrender to the Lordship of Christ, and self-denial and willingness to follow Jesus. We must give up, surrender, and commit to what we know is true. The elements of faith in progression are: Knowing, reckoning, yielding, obeying, trusting, delighting, committing, waiting, and anticipating.

Its logical conclusion is a relationship with Jesus with a love for Him--"Though you have not seen him, you love him (cf. 1 Pet. 1:8, ESV). Faith begets fruit and works, no fruit, no faith! "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15, ESV). Note that no one has perfect faith: God requires only sincere, unfeigned faith according to 1 Tim. 1:5 says: "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (ESV). Final Caveat: Beware of easy-believism whereby one thinks he is saved by merely believing without submitting to His lordship.


Everyone has faith; in what is the question. We are a religious creature made to worship and will worship someone or something if not God, which is idolatry. Dostoevsky said that "man cannot live without worshiping something." We are made for God and can only find our fulfillment in living for Him. But why is man opposed to God when He offers Himself to them? Man is a slave to sin and doesn't want to change his way of life, doing his own thing his way. He doesn't want to submit to authority and grant the ownership of his life to the One who made it. A person of no organized religion may have their faith in the scientific method, that science can solve all our problems--but he is nevertheless a person of faith. And so everyone is a person of faith! We have sound reasons to believe and need not commit intellectual suicide.

Real faith in God is when we go a step beyond so-called story-book faith or head belief and it registers in the heart and we desire to live it out in trust and commitment. We must be obedient to the gospel and to the faith. Saving faith is always accompanied by genuine repentance--they go hand in hand! And we must never divorce faith and faithfulness, for we live by faith and it must grow, not being dead. Dead faith produces no works and that kind of faith cannot save. Good soil produces fruit and saving faith produces the fruit of good works. As the Reformers said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." If we have no works, our faith is suspect. James says that faith without works is dead! James 2:18 also says, "I'll show you my faith by my works!" But we are not saved by works, but not without them either. We don't have faith in ourselves or our ability in trying to save ourselves, because it's the object that matters. We must realize that genuine faith expresses itself!

God opens our eyes to have faith, for we are blinded by Satan. He quickens or kindles faith within us by grace and it's not a meritorious work as Rome would have you believe--for then we would be saved by merit or works. We will have nothing to boast of in God's presence. Faith is the work of God but our act. We must put our faith in the right object to be saved, for we don't have faith in faith, but faith in Christ--faith doesn't save, Christ does! But this faith must be penitent as we turn from sin to God and believe in Christ. That's why it may be termed penitent faith or believing repentance that saves. We have believed through grace, a supernatural act of God regenerating us. God grants both repentance and faith as a privilege of being the elect (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18). He opens the door to faith and repentance (cf. Acts 14:27).

There is a profession of faith and reality of faith, whereas bogus faith is misplaced and insincere. God doesn't ask for perfect faith, only sincere, unfeigned faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5). Without faith, we cannot please God (cf. Heb. 11:6). There are people of great faith but it's misplaced (cf. Romans 10:2; Proverbs 19:2)--sincerity matters but it's not everything (you can be sincerely wrong). There are believers in name only or nominal Christians who go through the motions and have memorized the Dance of the Pious. Saving faith is obedient as Bonhoeffer says, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." (cf. Romans 16:26; Romans 1:5, Acts 6:7). They shall know we are Christians by our love--the ultimate obedience. That is the litmus test! Faith and obedience are correlated in Heb. 3:17-18, HCSB, as follows: "And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." We desire to obey, even if we fall short of perfection (cf. Matt 5:48).

The faith you have is the faith you show! The rallying cry of the Reformation was that we are saved by faith alone and Rome pronounced anyone anathema that adhered to this doctrine at the Council of Trent (the Counter-Reformation). We are not saved by good works, and faith is not a work, but we are saved unto good works, that we may accomplish the will of God. Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it. In fact, God foreordains good works for us to do for His purposes. We must be saved by grace, for this is the only way to have assurance. And "salvation is of the LORD," as Jonah found out (cf. Jonah 2:9) which means it's God's accomplishment, not man's achievement. We receive faith, we don't achieve it, i.e., we don't conjure it up by ourselves, but it's totally a gift of grace (cf. Acts 18:27; John 6:29; 2 Pet. 1:1). But we must put our faith to work and turn our creed into deeds, for faith is knowledge in action. Keeping the faith only works if it's in Christ!

Rome reduces faith to assent or acquiescence or acknowledgment with the church dogma. Just realizing Christ is God and rose from the dead, if one doesn't put the faith into action, will not save. Believing Christ rose from the dead is history; believing He died for you and rose for you and personalizing this is salvation. By faith Abraham obeyed! True saving faith is a surrendered, substituted, inhabited, relinquished, and even yielded life to the will of God, whereas Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit's residence--in other words, He owns us because He bought us and redeemed us! We must take a spiritual checkup or spiritual inventory to find out whether we have the Spirit or not and if Christ is living in us--if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His and he is reprobate (cf. Romans 8:9). In sum, if we love Jesus we will obey Him (cf. John 14:15) and there is a curse on anyone who doesn't love the Lord (cf. Rom. 16:22)--true faith trusts in Christ as Savior and submits to Him as Lord, as Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey My commands." Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Saving Faith?

What Is Saving Faith?...

 "... [A]nd a large number of priest became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7, NIV).

"Through him we have received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from or his Name's sake" (Romans 1:5, NKV). 
"... [S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith" (Rom. 16:26,NIV).

Everyone has faith; in what is the question.  We are a religious creature made to worship and will worship someone or something if not God, which is idolatry.  Dostoevsky said that "man cannot live without worshiping something."  We are made for God and can only find our fulfillment in living for Him.  But why is man opposed to God when He offers Himself to them?  Man is a slave to sin and doesn't want to change his way of life, doing his own thing his way.  He doesn't want to submit to authority and grant the ownership of his life to the One who made it.  A person of no organized religion may have their faith in the scientific method, that science can solve all our problems--but he is nevertheless a person of faith.  And so everyone is a person of faith!  We have sound reasons to believe and need not commit intellectual suicide.

Real faith in God is when we go a step beyond so-called story-book faith or head belief and it registers in the heart and we desire to live it out in trust and commitment.  We must be obedient to the gospel and to the faith.   Saving faith is always accompanied by genuine repentance--they go hand in hand!  And we must never divorce faith and faithfulness, for we live by faith and it must grow, not being dead.  Dead faith produces no works and that kind of faith cannot save.  Good soil produces fruit and saving faith produces the fruit of good works.  As the Reformers said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."  If we have no works, our faith is suspect.  James says that faith without works is dead!  James 2:18 also says, "I'll show you my faith by my works!"  But we are not saved by works, but not without them either.  We don't have faith in ourselves or our ability in trying to save ourselves, because it's the object that matters.  We must realize that genuine faith expresses itself!

God opens our eyes to have faith, for we are blinded by Satan.  He quickens or kindles faith within us by grace and it's not a meritorious work as Rome would have you believe--for then we would be saved by merit or works.  We will have nothing to boast of in God's presence.  Faith is the work of God but our act.  We must put our faith in the right object to be saved, for we don't have faith in faith, but faith in Christ--faith doesn't save, Christ does!   But this faith must be penitent as we turn from sin to God and believe in Christ.  That's why it may be termed penitent faith or believing repentance that saves.  We have believed through grace, a supernatural act of God regenerating us.  God grants both repentance and faith as a privilege of being the elect (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18).  He opens the door to faith and repentance (cf. Acts 14:27).

There is a profession of faith and reality of faith, whereas bogus faith is misplaced and insincere.  God doesn't ask for perfect faith, only sincere, unfeigned faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5).  Without faith, we cannot please God (cf. Heb. 11:6).  There are people of great faith but it's misplaced (cf. Romans 10:2; Proverbs 19:2)--sincerity matters but it's not everything (you can be sincerely wrong).  There are believers in name only or nominal Christians who go through the motions and have memorized the Dance of the Pious.  Saving faith is obedient as Bonhoeffer says, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  (cf. Romans 16:26; Romans 1:5, Acts 6:7).  They shall know we are Christians by our love--the ultimate obedience.  That is the litmus test!  Faith and obedience are correlated in Heb. 3:17-18, HCSB, as follows:  "And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."  We desire to obey, even if we fall short of perfection (cf. Matt 5:48).

The faith you have is the faith you show!  The rallying cry of the Reformation was that we are saved by faith alone and Rome pronounced anyone anathema that adhered to this doctrine at the Council of Trent (the Counter-Reformation).  We are not saved by good works, and faith is not a work, but we are saved unto good works, that we may accomplish the will of God.  Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it. In fact, God foreordains good works for us to do for His purposes.  We must be saved by grace, for this is the only way to have assurance.  And "salvation is of the LORD," as Jonah found out (cf. Jonah 2:9) which means it's God's accomplishment, not man's achievement.  We receive faith, we don't achieve it, i.e., we don't conjure it up by ourselves, but it's totally a gift of grace (cf. Acts 18:27; John 6:29; 2 Pet. 1:1).  But we must put our faith to work and turn our creed into deeds, for faith is knowledge in action.  Keeping the faith only works if it's in Christ!

Rome reduces faith to assent or acquiescence or acknowledgment with the church dogma.  Just realizing Christ is God and rose from the dead, if one doesn't put the faith into action, will not save.  Believing Christ rose from the dead is history; believing He died for you and rose for you and personalizing this is salvation.  By faith Abraham obeyed!  True saving faith is a surrendered, substituted, inhabited, relinquished, and even yielded life to the will of God, whereas Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit's residence--in other words, He owns us because He bought us and redeemed us!  We must take a spiritual checkup or spiritual inventory to find out whether we have the Spirit or not and if Christ is living in us--if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His and he is reprobate (cf. Romans 8:9).  In sum, if we love Jesus we will obey Him (cf. John 14:15) and there is a curse on anyone who doesn't love the Lord (cf. Rom. 16:22)--true faith trusts in Christ as Savior and submits to Him as Lord, as Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey My commands."        Soli Deo Gloria!

Faith Has Legs

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith God has assigned"  (Romans 12:3, ESV). 
"... [Measuring] yourselves by the faith God has given you..." (Rom. 12:3, NLT, italics mine). 
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him ... by faith Abraham obeyed..." (Hebrews 11:6, 8, ESV).  
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race [course], I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7, NKJV, italics mine). 
"... I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3, ESV).
"[F]or we walk by faith, and not by sight"  (2 Cor. 5:7, ESV).

You've probably heard of the cliche that you don't have a leg to stand on; faith is like that as a contrast, it has legs to stand on! We have sound reasons to believe and haven't kissed our brains goodbye or committed intellectual suicide to become Christians!   Having legs implies you intend to go somewhere and are equipped for it, and even ready.  You are either going forward, backward or standing still!  In the walk of faith, you are supposed to be going forward, and not standing or going backward.

Faith is an abstract concept and must be seen to be understood.  It's something you do--, not something you have.  By faith the heroes did this and that in the hall of faith chapter of Hebrews.  Faith is not static or inert,  but active, living, growing and involved--bearing fruit.  Everyone has some kind of faith in something because we are hard-wired that way.  Secularists have faith in science or man's ability to solve his dilemmas and issues.  But it's not the amount of faith that's the vital link, but the object. Small but sincere faith in the right thing will bring results, but even much faith misdirected will be vain and fruitless.  The Israelites had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (cf. Rom. 10:2).  People in the North know there are two kinds of ice, and you can have a lot of faith crossing thin ice and you'll still fall through, but small faith in thick ice will get you from point A to point B.

The whole point of the Christian life is that you must grow in your relationship and mature in Christ, in other words, that you are going somewhere!  A walk with Christ implies you cannot tread water or stand in one place.  Ever heard of the "Nowhere Man" song of The Beatles?  He doesn't know where he's going to and doesn't have a point of view! We are not to wander aimlessly through the Christian life without purpose and meaning, because Christ gives us a reason to live and for our existence to find fulfillment--a more abundant life--some Christians never achieve this because of the so-called rat-race they get tied up with and are never set free spiritually to live victorious Christian lives in the power of the Spirit, not the energy of the flesh.

Faith must be illustrated to be conceived:  suppose I reach into my pocket and pull out something and ask you to tell me what's in my hand.  If you can't guess, let's say for the sake of argument, that I give you a hint that I had coins in my pocket.  Now you say that you believe I have a coin in my hand--that's faith, if I tell you that you're right, you take my word for it and have greater faith, but it's still faith!  Now, let me destroy your faith!  I'll open my hand and show you the coin.  Now you don't have faith anymore, but knowledge--see the difference--faith isn't absolute but has room for doubt and cannot be perfect, but God requires sincere, unfeigned faith, not perfect faith--it's evidence of the unseen (cf. Heb. 11:1)!

Now another illustration:  we must act on, or out, our faith.  If a tightrope walker tells you he can carry you across the rope and you tell him you believe him, that 's not faith unless you are willing to be carried across--you can say you believe, but your decisions may belie your so-called profession; there's a profession of faith or bogus faith, and a reality of faith or saving faith.

We are not rewarded according to our faith (cf. Rom. 2:6)!  We are rewarded according to our deeds and the good works we accomplished through God's Spirit with the faith given by God (cf. Romans 12:3 above). Note that faith is a gift: "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29, ESV); Peter writes:  "... [To] those who have obtained a faith of equal standing..." (2 Pet. 1:1, ESV).  We cannot boast of what God accomplishes through us (cf. Rom. 15:18; Isaiah 26:12).  God is simply using us as "vessels of honor" to accomplish His divine will and to bring glory to Him (cf. Isaiah 43:7).

Living faith grows and goes somewhere!  If your faith hasn't improved or accomplished something you can doubt it's being genuine and saving faith.  It must be validated by good works. We aren't saved by good works, neither are we saved without them, but saved unto them (cf. Eph. 2:10).   Paul would say, "I'll show you my good deeds by my faith!'  James would counter a complimentary statement:  "I'll show you my faith by my good deeds!"  These two can be distinguished, but not separated.  We are not saved by faith that stands alone.  We are saved by faith alone, but not be a faith that is alone, according to the Reformers' formula!


Antinomians insist that works don't have to accompany saving faith, or they believe we are saved by faith minus works!  No fruit means no faith!  Dead faith doesn't save and the only faith that saves is productive faith doing God's will!  Dead faith isn't profitable for anything and cannot go anywhere.  A person can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity matters, it's not the most vital link to salvation--it's not everything.  We are saved by grace through faith, and our faith is solely a gift of God, not something we conjure up or work up in our own efforts of the flesh. God quickens faith within us!  "So faith comes from hearing, and through hearing, of the word of Christ," (Romans 10:17, ESV), and God opens the heart (cf. Acts 16:14) to respond positively to the gospel, "who through grace had believed" (cf. Acts 18:27, ESV).

Saving faith is obedient and the only authentic test of faith is its obedience and it's always manifest through it, not by experience or emotions, feelings, or ecstasies.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Jesus also said that if we love Him we will keep and obey His commands (cf. John 14:21). Faith, it is said, is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences!   All faith must be tested for obedience, not emotions!  Some people are just hard-wired differently and are stoical and not demonstrative, even at concerts and sports events, not just worship!

Note that faith is not an end in itself; faith doesn't save, the object of the faith is what matters--Christ saves!  We don't have faith in faith!  When you say, "To defend the faith," you must be talking about the orthodox body of dogma of the Christian religion, not just your own personal faith, we are all called to be defenders of the truth and contenders of the faith (cf. Jude 3), and to be able to have an answer for why we believe, not just know what we believe (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15).  In the end result, it matters more how big your God is than how big your faith is!

The same word is used for faith and faithfulness in the Old Testament Hebrew (e.g., Hab. 2:4, "The just shall walk by faith [faithfulness]").  We must not divorce these two but realize they are juxtaposed and together like a coin with a flip side--they are complimentary! Good works is no substitute for faith, but proof it exists!  True faith always expresses itself!  We show our faith by being faithful to whatever gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities, time, resources, money, relationships, and so forth that are bestowed on us by grace!

Remember the words of Heb. 11:6 that faith is what "pleases" God, we can become emotional, wear our religion on our sleeves, or flaunt our religion, but that doesn't please God, if there is no genuine faith and obedience--even if there is no sentiment, for they don't save, but they will come from a life of faith in the order: fact, faith, then feeling--we must not be feeling-driven or emotionally crippled and dependent!  Jesus didn't say that if you love Him, you'll be on Cloud Nine, but that you'd obey Him!  Faith is a door to eternal life, not the destination:  we "believe in order to understand," for "faith precedes reason," according to Saint Augustine.

In the final analysis, the only happy believer is the serving one and a non-serving believer is a contradiction in terms, for we are saved to serve; even Christ came not to be served, but to serve (cf. Mark 10:45).  At the final audit of our life at the Bema or tribunal (called the Judgment Seat of Christ by some), we will have to give an account of what we did with the faith God gave us, and each is given a portion of faith (cf. Rom. 12:3).

To whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48)!  With great faith, comes great responsibility and God will say that His grace is sufficient for us as He did to Paul about His thorn in the flesh (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9).  We must sow to reap, and he who sows sparingly will reap likewise!  We must sow and leave the results to God and focus on faithfulness, not success!

 As Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, said that God "calls us to faithfulness, not success!" It is said that if you've never made a mistake [failed], you've never made [tried] anything [challenging!]"  Failure doesn't always mean lack of faith or faithfulness.  We must remain faithful to the calling God gave us.  As Peter said, "... [Make] your calling and election sure..." in 2 Pet. 1:10, ESV.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Simply Believe?

"Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
"Faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences."  (author unknown).  
"I will show you my faith by my good works!"  (James would say this)
"I will show you my good works by faith!"  (Paul would put this spin on our salvation)


Salvation is "by faith alone [the rallying cry of the Reformation], but not by a faith that is alone" (as the Reformers taught).  It must be fruitful--no fruit means no faith!  It isn't how much faith you have, but the object of the faith that matters.  True faith is validated in works only, not by feelings or emotions--some people are just sentimental types.  Obedience, then, is the only genuine test, as the Jews were found disobedient and therefore lacking faith in Heb. 3:18-19.

Saving faith is always joined and in juxtaposition to genuine repentance--some people don't have a problem believing, but in repenting!  Impenitent faith is not saving faith!  We are admonished to believing repentance or penitent faith if you will.  The most unnatural thing for us to accept is that salvation is by faith alone and all we have to do is simply believe (i.e., with the right kind of belief), as God gives us the gift of faith to exercise and walk through the door--we don't conjure it up by our own efforts (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1).

It would be so much more convenient for most people if only they had to do something for salvation--some work they could manage; however, if ever there were a work involved, we would flunk and fall short.  The only way it could be fair to all and make it so that anyone could get saved is if it were by faith alone, through grace alone. I'm not against works, just works religion; i.e., works done in the flesh and not in the Spirit.  We venture to boast only of what Christ has accomplished through us and in us (cf. Rom. 15:18).   It's so simple that the intellectual, philosopher, and legalist find it to be a stumbling stone, rock of offense, an impediment.  Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation (cf. John 6:28-29)!

Yes, we can come to God as we are in faith, but we don't stay that way!  God works in our hearts a new life from the inside out--a transformation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) of all things new in Christ.  Now the key is to remember that faith is only the beginning, though we go from faith to faith (cf. Rom. 1:16-7), and increase in faith, and our living faith is not inert or static, but grows and matures into a seasoned believer with tried and proved faith.  One may say with complacency that he does believe, but belief is only the beginning--it's the door, not the final destination!   Faith is not certitude: we don't have to be fully persuaded to have saving faith and doubt is not the opposite of faith, but a component.

One disciple told Jesus (cf. Mark 9:24), "I believe, help thou mine unbelief!"  You will see that true faith always expresses itself and cannot remain silent (cf. Acts 4:20)!  Point in fact: There's no smoking-gun evidence to prove there is a God; on the contrary, there's none to prove there isn't!  You need not prove God unless they can disprove Him!  There's always going to be a place for doubt, but we must overcome it and walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). All our questions will be answered in eternity (cf. John 16:23).

Salvation is not by knowledge but by faith, and that means one must take the leap of faith and bid his doubts goodbye in looking unto Jesus as Lord and Savior.  But, and this is an important contrast:  We can know for certain that we are saved--we are not just to hope we are saved, or even believe with doubt attached, but we are admonished to know for certain.  But this is what's called a "properly basic belief" or knowledge through a personal encounter with God and experiencing Him.  God speaks to our spirit and confirms our faith in us and we know as a result of the Spirit in us convicting us (cf. Rom. 8:16).  The Word of God coupled with the testimony and witness of the Spirit is a powerful assurance.

 And furthermore: God wouldn't command us to make our salvation certain (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10), if it were not possible to know for sure!  Two errors of newborn believers are not to take the Word of  God seriously and at face value, and to be ignorant of the Word and its promises.  Note that assurance of salvation is not an automatic fruit of salvation and many believers struggle with it and need to be informed of what the Bible teaches: assurance and security are two sides of the same coin and can be distinguished, but not separated--they go hand in hand.  If we weren't secure in our salvation, that we couldn't lose it, we could never be sure and certain we wouldn't lose it, and there would and could be no assurance.

When they say simply believe, it's so simple, but not simplistic, and so child-like, but not childish, that everyone from the intellectual to the simpleton and child has an equal chance to receive the gift of salvation by faith alone, not of any work, or we would have grounds of boasting to God. In the gift of saving faith (yes, we don't achieve, we receive), we may have doubts and all our questions may be unanswered, but we believe anyway and take the leap into the light, saying goodbye to the darkness of unbelief. We aren't inclined to believe nor are we asked to believe despite the evidence or with no evidence at all:  there's plenty of evidence and reason for credence, but for the skeptic and the stubborn and hardened heart, there's never enough evidence, because one must desire to do God's will (cf. John 7:17) and believe in Him.

It is one thing to believe God exists (cf. James 2:19), or that Jesus is Lord and Savior, and quite another to accept Him into your heart (cf. Rev. 3:20); i.e., trusting as Savior and submitting as Lord all by faith and loving Him in fellowship!   You don't need all the answers to believe, because God changes our hearts. It is important to note that we are judged by our works, not our faith (cf. Rom. 2:6).  If you don't have accompanying works, your faith is suspect, because the faith you have is the faith you show!  In the final analysis, the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart--we must believe in our hearts, not just agree or consent with our minds (which is mere head belief)!

Caveat:  There is the temptation to think that believing is all there is to the Christian life and it doesn't matter whether one's life is submitted to the lordship of Christ and one is obedient to the Word, but this is so-called "easy-believism" and brings forth what's called "cheap grace," which justifies the sin, not the sinner!  True faith entails leaving behind the life of sin and embracing a new life in Christ with Him in at the helm, as the Master of our fate and Captain of our soul!

Some so-called Christians who live in sin tell their pastor, "It's okay, I believe!"  This ought not to be so!  The essence of the Christian life is not summed up in belief per se, as if believing were the whole story.  The whole point of conversion is a changed life, but one that God gives us, not that we accomplish on our own by "turning over a new leaf," making a New Year's resolution, or making an AA pledge to reform our lives--not self-improvement, but transformation by God.   Christ must be born in us, not just born in Bethlehem!

We're not just believing God is there, but in the God who is there, as revealed in the person of Jesus. There is a contrast between believing Jesus died on a cross and rose again, as a historical faith, and believing He did it for you personally!   And in conclusion, believing is only the beginning and the door to a new life (not the destination), we are to "follow on to know the Lord" (cf. Hos. 6:3, NLT, tells us to "press on to know the LORD") and walk with Christ as we progress from "faith to faith," as the Lord "... makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image" (2 Cor. 3:18, NLT).  (But saving faith is for those who realize and admit they're lost, for Christ "came to seek and to save those who are lost" (cf. Luke 19:10).)     Soli Deo Gloria!  

Believing In The Heart

"What then?  Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking.  The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened"  (Rom. 11:7, ESV).  

"[Because], if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved"  (Rom. 10:9-10, ESV).  

"If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed.  Our Lord, come!"  (1 Cor. 16:22, NLT). 

"The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases" (Prov. 21:2, NLT).  

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs [issues] of life"  (Prov. 4:23, ESV).  
"Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God'..." (Psalm 14:1, NLT).  

Some who make a profession of Christ merely have so-called head belief and don't register any faith in their hearts--they have no room for Jesus in their lives (cf. Rev. 3:20)--it's all in their heads!  We must believe in our hearts to have a valid, living, and growing faith and a vital personal relationship with Christ:  We don't just debate or talk about Him, we talk to Him and serve Him wholeheartedly.  Of course, our minds play a role:  we must understand with our minds before our hearts can sense or feel any love attachment, and I don't mean mere sentimentality or maudlin feelings.  Some are stoical and that must be respected, as long as they don't go to the ball game and get all excited and demonstrative there--that would prove we love sports more than our Lord.  Some are just naturally reserved and inhibited and need to grow in their confidence of expressing themselves, doing what is natural to a surrendered heart.

"Change your hearts and lives!  Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away"  (Acts 3:19, CEV).  We need to get our whole heart and soul saved (Acts 26:20 says, "...My message was that they should change their hearts and lives and turn to God and that they should demonstrate this change in their behavior."):  our mind or intellect; our will or volition; and our feelings or emotional output.  Our wills are also infected and fallen into sin, depraved, and need salvation--they are not unaffected by the fall--the will is bound by the sin nature and not free to obey God, or even to believe in Him apart from the grace of God ("Apart from Me you can do nothing," says John 15:5).

We must realize that faith is a gift because our wills are bound by sin and since we are accustomed to doing evil, we cannot do good, no more than a leopard can change its spots or an Ethiopian his skin (cf. Jer. 13:23).  Our lives are not our own and we cannot plan out our lives (cf. Jer. 10:23, NLT):  "The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?"  (Prov. 20:24, NLT). "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps" (Prov. 16:9, NLT).

Yes, we need our thinking straightened out and put into conformity to God's worldview and viewpoint, eliminating all the carnality that affects it (cf. 2 Cor. 10:5). "...[B]ut be transformed by the renewing of your minds..." (Rom. 12:2, CEV).   The Bible isn't just to inform us but to change our way of thinking as well as our life.  We must learn to have the mind of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 2:16) in us and think godly thoughts.

Our hearts are radically corrupt also and we tend to be excited by the things of the world and what the world offers (cf. 1 John 2:15), even cheap thrills that don't last and destroy our soul.  The problem with man is that the heart of the matter of his salvation is a matter of the heart--he is in rebellion against God and won't love his Creator without regeneration.  Once we've tasted that the Lord is good (cf. Psalm 34:8; 1 Pet. 2:3) and God's love for us we want to pass it on and get the word out about the love of God expressed in Jesus.

The most radically corrupt part of us is our will; it is in a state of rebellion against our God (cf. Isa. 59:13) and is very stubborn (cf. Jer. 18:12; Ps. 81:12), and resistant to grace, and we must thank God for His irresistible grace (cf. Rom. 5:21) that melts us, molds, fills us, and uses us for His glory.  He regenerates us and takes our heart of stone (cf. Ezek. 36:26) and makes it into a heart of flesh!  The biggest miracle of all is the changing of our wills to ones that want to obey Christ. Everyone is doing his own thing (Isa. 53:6).   For "to obey is better than sacrifice"  (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).   No man can come to Christ (cf. John 6:44, 65) apart from the grace of God wooing him and drawing him--his privilege is with God's permission and election (cf. Acts 13:48).

According to Martin Luther, free will is too grandiose a term for our will, and we must realize that very little of our decision to follow Christ was because of our wills anyway.  God decided our nationality, our family, our church background, our education, our genes, our nature (i.e., choleric, melancholy, sanguine, phlegmatic, etc.), and so forth, and our wills had very little input.  How do you know that if you had been born in Russia that you would believe in Jesus?  Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands, and this is called predestination, mentioned in Scripture (cf. Acts 13:48, ESV; Eph. 1:5, 11, HCSB; also implied in Psalm 31:15, NLT).  Jer. 20:7, NLT ("...You stronger than I am, and you overpowered me...") says that Jeremiah's will was overcome by God and He prevailed!

God is stronger than us and has the power to make believers out of the most stubborn--look at Saul of Tarsus!  Note that the Reformed view is that we are elected unto faith, not because of it, which is called the prescient view of Arminians. A careful reading of Romans 8:29-30 militates against this fallacious interpretation of election.  Romans 9:16 says that it is not of him who wills, but of God who shows mercy!  God reserves the right to have mercy on whom He will.  And no one can resist His will (cf. Rom 9:19)!

One may say that we have unlimited free will and that God's sovereignty is limited by it, and some do posit this allegation.  But God's sovereignty is absolute and not limited by our so-called freedom. God is free and unable to sin, isn't He?  We are free to sin and to choose our own poison, you might say! Augustine said we are "free but not freed!" We are free to act according to our God-given nature!  We have lost our ability and liberty, and only have limited freedom or faculty of choice intact, but we have lost all inclination toward God and are naturally evil and depraved, not good.  We have remained human since the Fall, but we have lost the tendency to love God.

The biggest miracle of all is the transformation of a hardened heart into an obedient soul who loves Jesus--he can give himself no credit, no not any.  We go from being as bad off as we can possibly be (not as bad, though), to being as well off as we can be in this life, secure in Christ forever.  Those who believe our will is totally free want to give themselves some credit for their own salvation and don't realize that "salvation is of the LORD," as Jonah said in Jon. 2:9. 

We do not cooperate at all (nor do any so-called presalvation effort or work to please God), but salvation is totally monergistic or a one-sided act of God, it's not synergistic or a cooperative venture in which we help God save us. We are passive in our regeneration, and this results in active faith and repentance.  Salvation is not of man and God, nor of man alone, but of God alone!  It is not of anything we have done (cf. Titus 3:5) or can do that we are saved--it's grace all the way, from beginning to end.  No one will boast in God's presence (cf. Eph. 2:9)!

Those who think free will means we can do anything we want or that eternal security is a violation of it, must wonder about our state in heaven, where we will not be free to sin and can only do good!  The problem is that man is a voluntary slave (i.e., we feel no outside force or fate)--he wants to sin and chooses to do it freely--God doesn't force anyone to believe against his will, but He can convert the unwilling by an act of irresistible grace.  In heaven, we won't want to sin, and that's the miracle of regeneration and glorification.  God has free will, but cannot act out of character, and being holy, that eliminates all evil and sin.  As believers, we still have the power to sin and the power not to sin, we don't have to sin but have two natures fighting each other and the one that wins is usually the one we feed the most and give into.

The only saved believers are those who live out the gospel and love Jesus in their hearts, desiring to obey, serve, and worship Him.  It isn't a matter of acquiescence or assent; this is only the first step!  We must trust Christ, rely on Him, and surrender our wills to His!   But we cannot do this without the grace of God enabling us.  We believe through grace (cf. Acts 18:27).  The miracle is that we want to obey and serve Christ--we don't feel we have to, but that we want to--showing a real conversion experience.

There are several passages of Scripture that point to man's stubborn, fallen will or volition (which is the deciding factor in our decisions between heart and mind).  "So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels"  (Psalm 81:12, ESV).  "... We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart"  (Jer. 18:12, ESV).  "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"  (Jer. 17:9, ESV).  "O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?"  (Isa. 63:17, ESV).  Note that the will is part of the heart in Scripture, though we commonly interchange and even confuse heart and emotion.   In Scripture, the heart contains the intellect (cf. Matt. 15:19), the emotional being (cf. Ps. 37:4), and the will (cf. Ex. 7:22).  The heart is thus the seat of man's inner personality and character.  God doesn't make us do anything we don't want to do, though He is "at work within [us] both to do and to will of His good pleasure" (cf. Phil. 2:13).

In our conversion experience, God never forces us to do anything we don't want to do (coercion) and our destiny is not a fate that we have no input into (determinism), but God is able to make us willing and able to believe.  He can make the unwilling willing (cf. Psalm 110:3; Phil 2:13; Psalm 51:12, NLT)!  Man's will really has two dimensions, which must be distinguished:  the mundane and the spiritual or moral.  Man retains all mundane ability and power of choice, such as what his favorite foods are; however he loses the ability to choose God independently--grace must lead the way and melt his heart into obedience.

Martin Luther called this the bondage of the will and wrote De Servo Arbitrio (The Bondage of the Will) to counter Erasmus' Catholic version of free will.  It has long been Roman Catholic tradition that man chooses Christ totally of his own free will without God's interference with it.  Martin Luther said that this doctrine confuses the gospel and that one doesn't grasp man's bondage in his will, he fails to apprehend the gospel.  When you realize that you don't need free will, but wills made free, you understand grace in salvation; we are not born free, as people think, but born in bondage and must be set free by Christ (as John 8:36 says, "If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed").

In the final analysis, all that matters is that the person's heart is in the right place and that one love the Lord, not that his doctrine be impeccably correct or that he can split hairs!  We must keep the main thing the main thing and not get sidetracked just being content to be doctrinally correct.     Soli Deo Gloria!  

Blind Faith

"... This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent"  (John 6:29, ESV).

"... [He] greatly helped those who through grace had believed"  (Acts 18:27, ESV).  

Infidels, who deny the existence of God, don't have a leg to stand on, and cannot defend their faith with any evidence whatsoever: neither circumstantial; logical; scientific; philosophical; nor historical. However, Christianity is a historical faith and there is plenty of evidence for anyone willing to believe and obey the truth; unbelievers are defined as those who "reject the truth," according to Romans 2:8. Claiming Christians have blind faith is offensive and insulting to God, and demeaning to believers!

There is no universal belief, but there is universal truth (objective and eternal) that applies whether believed or not: Because someone denies the truth, doesn't mean it's not true.  People often confuse belief and truth, saying that they don't believe the Bible, for instance, when you don't have to believe it to be saved; however, most who say they don't believe the Bible, don't know what its message is or have never read it!  The Bible is a caged lion, in that it defends itself, and need not appeal to any higher authority than itself for attestation.

The proof for Christ and His resurrection is mostly circumstantial and historical, and any one piece of evidence isn't conclusive, but the totality of the evidence is most compelling and one must go in the direction of the preponderance of the evidence if one is reasonable or in a court of law.  It has been stated by Dr. Simon Greenleaf, Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University (considered the world's foremost expert on law and evidence) that any unbiased jury would declare the biblical account a fact of history.  (He wrote a book, though a skeptic at first, declaring his conversion after examining the evidence, The Testimony of the Evangelists.)

No event in history has been so widely and variously proved than this; in fact, Luke says, "there are many infallible proofs" in Acts 1:3.  God won't force anyone to believe against his will, but he must want to believe and then God will work on his heart and will to make a believer out of him. (Note that faith is given, not achieved!  It's demonstrated, not possessed because we see it in action, we don't talk about it!)

Now Christians are accused of having blind faith, whereas they have sound reasons for what they believe and God never asks anyone to believe despite the evidence--you cannot believe and trust in something you are not intellectually convinced of.  But atheists seldom know why they are atheists and certainly cannot defend their position (logicians know you cannot prove a universal negative). Not knowing why you believe is a kind of blind faith.  The problem today is not a willingness to believe, but people not knowing what they believe, which is a sort of unbelief and blind faith.

We don't have faith in faith, for faith doesn't save, Christ does!  We don't have faith for faith sake, but it is directed in a person, not a creed or ritual.  Religion is knowing a creed or the rules, Christianity is knowing a person!  The Bible says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good" (cf. Psalm 34:8)--God confirms our faith and the Christian experience is valid and verifiable. Our basis of feeling and of forgiveness is not purely rational but based on historical evidence of the objective fact of the resurrection.  We are not being fooled by some colossal propaganda program!  Many of the first-century believers died for their faith, and the "blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church," according to church father Tertullian.

In sum, we haven't kissed our brains goodbye but have used them.  Faith doesn't reject the mind, it respects the mind.  We don't go against reason, but beyond it.   We must all take the step of faith into the light, but once there, our eyes are opened and we become enlightened by the Holy Spirit.  Note that apart from the Holy Spirit, no one would believe.  "We must cater to anyone's intellectual integrity, but not pander to their arrogance," according to John Stott.  The problem is not intellectual, but moral; people don't want to believe, because their will is hardened:  John 7:17 says that anyone willing to do His will, will know of the doctrine.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Behold, Jesus At The Door

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock..." (cf. Rev. 3:20).

Is Jesus really knocking at the door of the heart of the unbeliever, as evangelists ostensibly quote Rev. 3:20 in their salvation formula?  This verse is addressed to the church of Laodicea, a so-called "lukewarm" fellowship, that had apparently no room in their hearts for Jesus. What is delineated by lukewarm is that Jesus didn't know where they stood spiritually; they wouldn't take a stand for Him and proclaim His name, but were sitting on the fence trying to remain neutral.  Jesus would rather mingle with people who are not believers (even publicans, sinners, and any so-called scum) than pretenders or hypocrites who feign belief.

God doesn't require perfect and complete faith, but sincere, unfeigned faith.  True faith is not ashamed to proclaim Jesus as Lord openly and to spread the good news.  True faith is contagious and people catch on and wonder what makes you different.  Jesus said that if you are not for Him, you are against Him, and that means lukewarm professors (and there is a difference between a profession of faith and reality of faith) are not believers and are in the same boat as unbelievers.

Jesus didn't say that if you're not for Him you are neutral or against Him!  But against Him without a doubt.  The problem with this church is that they had an outward show of religion, a memorizing of the Dance of the Pious, and no inward reality.  The true believer desires to live out His faith and to know Christ, as well as make Him known--possessing a burden for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

This verse applies to salvation, but it is not the whole equation.  The big picture is that you must believe in your heart and not have a story or head belief to be a genuine believer.  Faith is not mere mental assent or acquiescence!  Faith is something put into action, viz., knowledge and knowledge acted upon and demonstrated.  This church had not gone the route of loving Jesus with their whole heart and were only halfhearted followers, not having a vital fellowship and relationship with the Lord, which is what Christianity is all about--not a philosophy, but getting to know Jesus and how He thinks and fellowshipping with Him, the Father, and in the church.  Christ cannot open the door, the resident must and He desires true fellowship with us--the invitation is to all who hear His voice, and the sheep will hear His voice (cf. John 10:27).

In summation, saving faith is not believing merely in the Jesus of history, but in the one knocking at the door!  Someone has said:  Faith is not believing that there is a God, but in the God who is there!  Jesus must not be just born, but born in you!   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Saving Faith?

You gotta have faith!  How big is your God, not how big is your faith?  It depends on the strength of our God, not our faith.  Without faith, you cannot please God! (Cf. Heb. 11:6).  A real, genuine faith is one that grows and is not static or going nowhere.  True faith consists of right knowledge (you cannot subscribe to heresy), assent or agreement, and trust or reliance on it.  We don't have blind faith, for we have sound reasons to believe and don't believe in spite of the evidence.  We don't believe something we know isn't true--there is ample and compelling circumstantial evidence for the open-minded and willing person--no one can say there is lack of evidence.  We don't have faith in faith, but in the object of Christ (the object saves not the faith).  Faith is a verb and entails action:  "By faith Abraham obeyed ..." and so forth.  It is a matter of the will--it is volitional.  We choose to believe of our own ("If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know..." (cf. John 7:17, ESV), but God quickens faith in us and makes us alive--dead people cannot believe!

We must take the leap of faith from the seed planted.  Faith is not a work (if it were we would have merit before God, but we are not saved by works).   If it were a work, we would foul it up somehow!   The faith you have is the faith you show:  Paul says, "I'll show you my works by my faith," while James says, "I'll show you my faith by my works."  We are saved by faith alone, according to the Reformation doctrine, but not by a faith that is alone.  Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it, as we are saved unto works, not by works.

The theological axiom applies:  "Only he who is obedient believes, only he who believes is obedient." Obedience is the only true test of faith and they are correlated in Hebrews 3:18 and John 3:36. The obedience of faith separates the bogus profession of faith and the reality of faith as seen in Acts 6:7 ("... [M]any of the priests became obedient to the faith") and Romans 1:5.  You must trust and obey! (Mark 10:9 says, "What God has joined together let not man put asunder.")

Faith is given, not achieved--it is the gift of God and we do not conjure it up.   It is the work of God as His gift, but we must use it and take the leap.  "... [H]e greatly helped those who through grace had believed" (Acts 18:27, ESV).  But there is a difference between head belief and heart belief:  the demons also believe and tremble!  The first step to faith is a positive attitude expressed in listening, then understanding with the mind, then believing with the heart, and finally trusting and relying on will or volition.  The result:  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope"  (Romans 15:13, ESV).

What is the progression of faith?  Openness to the truth (unbelievers reject the truth), acceptance of the gospel message, willingness to obey God's will in relinquishment, surrender to the Lordship of Christ, and self-denial and willingness to follow Jesus.  We must give up, surrender, and commit to what we know is true.  The elements of faith in progression are:  Knowing, reckoning, yielding, obeying, trusting, delighting, committing, waiting, and anticipating.

Its logical conclusion is a relationship with Jesus with a love for Him--"[T]hough you have not seen him, you love him (cf. 1 Pet. 1:8, ESV). Faith begets fruit and works, no fruit, no faith!  "If you love me, you will keep my commandments"  (John 14:15, ESV).  Note that no one has perfect faith:  God requires only sincere, unfeigned faith according to 1 Tim. 1:5 says:  "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (ESV). Final Caveat: Beware of easy-believism whereby one thinks he is saved by merely believing without submitting to His lordship.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Is The Pope Catholic?

This seems like a proverbial and unambiguous or obvious question, but is it?  What do I mean by "catholic?"  The word denotes being universal in application (all true believers) and specifically to the Roman Catholic Church denomination of Christianity.  Roman Catholicism does not refer to a sect or cult, but a bona fide division of our faith like the Orthodox and so-called Protestant schisms. This means you can be a true Christian in either denomination or division of Christianity, but that doesn't mean because you adhere to one that you are automatically a Christian.  Catholics, as a rule, don't believe Protestants are saved; while Protestants believe some Catholics are saved--they just don't accept their soteriology or dogma of salvation that all Protestants subscribe to (salvation by grace through faith).  So this begs the question, "Which denomination is sectarian?"

By Reformed tradition and interpretation of the doctrines of salvation, and Martin Luther was excommunicated for his faith, Catholics do not have saving faith by definition because they regard "merit" and see faith as a work and not a gift--we are not saved by works. In effect, they save themselves.  Catholics officially believe you are saved "through the Church," obeying the teachings of the Church, and accepting their dogma without question. It is solely the responsibility of clerics to interpret Scripture, though the parishioner can read it.

The Pope is allegedly the Supreme Pontiff of the universal church and the vicar of Christ on earth, who speaks ex-cathedra when pronouncing from St. Peter's chair--this is known as pontificating, and it is infallible or without error (he claims to be speaking for Christ.)  (Catholics have a lot of faith in the Pope and priests--you must trust Christ alone to be saved because it is the object that saves, not the faith--they have misdirected faith--in the wrong person.)

Catholic (small c) denotes the general and universal church at large of true believers (the Nicene Creed says there is "one holy and apostolic catholic church") if you go by definition and not what the Church says; therefore, the Pope must know Christ to be catholic. He can be "Catholic" and not catholic, catholic and not Catholic,  and even Catholic and catholic.  Christian by definition can be any denomination, is really universal terminology and is nonsectarian--sectarian spirit is sin according to Paul, because "Christ is not divided."  (We shouldn't squabble over leadership.)

We should be "one in Spirit" (cf. Eph. 4:3) with all believers and not find differences but commonalities and be able to walk hand in hand without seeing eye to eye on every issue. True Christians are able to have fellowship with other believers around the world and across denominational lines if they know the Lord, regardless of sectarian bias or affiliation.  There is no fellowship with an unbeliever.  There is a time to be nondenominational and a time to stick to your guns and be faithful to your creed.  But note: Christianity is not a creed, but a relationship! But we have to turn our creeds into deeds and make good on our faith because true saving and obedient faith is a fruitful faith--we are known by our love producing good deeds.

"Woe unto you when all men speak well of you," Jesus said.  (They all thought well of the Pharisees!)  I don't know of anyone more popular in the world and that has more friends than the Pope, who tries to be everyone's friend and peacemaker.  If you think the Pope is a Christian, then you may be a Catholic at heart--there are many Catholics who disagree with him!  A former Pope made a "mecca" to Fatima to place something on the statue of the Virgin Mary, thanking her for saving him from assassination.  What he stands for is anti-Christian because he exalts himself to a position only God is worthy of and will bear his judgment on the Last Day.

Because his judgment tarries and we don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't a sure thing.  But he deceives many and God is patient for His elects' sake because they believe in Him in spite of being Catholic, not because they are Catholic.  To be specific: The Catholic way or following the Pope is the road of good intentions leading to hell.  Ever since the Council of Trent (1546) justification through faith alone has been anathema (cursed)--their misdirected faith in the Church won't save if they are converted solely to the program as do-gooders--granting false assurance.

They say that love is the test and we shall "know them by their love."  You must believe right (orthodoxy) as well as act right (orthopraxy).  Love is not God, God is love.  "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love;"  "Whoever loves has been born of God, for God is love."  (1 John 4:7-8, ESV).  Do not be deceived!  Don't say, "Oh he is such a lover; he must be saved."  (Love without faith, as well as, faith without love is nothing.)   This is how we shall know the brethren who believe the right creed from impostors or charlatans who claim faith and don't love. What it implies is that we shall not know solely by their creed, possessions, or testimony.  Love must be the main ingredient and without it we don't have salvation, regardless of faith.  Just having love per se doesn't prove salvation, it's just a sign to notice.


(Now, I am aware that you cannot judge whether a person has saving faith (only God sees the heart), Catholics freely admit to believing a creed contrary to grace and grace orientation--their salvation is a cooperative venture between us and God known as synergism, while "salvation is of the Lord" according to Jonah 2:9 and is monergistic or God's work only.  How important is grace?  It is the one thing that  distinguishes Christianity from religion and Catholicism, (Catholics do believe that grace is necessary, just not sufficient and must be improved upon by merit) and by definition, Catholicism is legalism (mixing works with faith), not Christianity, ergo the Pope is not catholic at heart but sectarian. What is religion?  Its main effort is to reach God, is the best man can do.  The Catholic dogma--a creed that is contrary to sound doctrine- is a do-it-yourself proposition of merit; Christianity is God reaching down to man, the best God can do and gives God the credit or glory (Soli Deo Gloria!) and we get none. Beware of the sin of Diotrephes, who liked to be number one and put himself first!  Ego problems! Only Christ is the Head of His Body.)

The question also arises as to whether a "sincere" Catholic is saved.  God says that ignorance is never an excuse because we all have His Word as a witness of the truth and are responsible to know it.   Sincerity is important, but it is not everything--you can be sincerely wrong.   Many Catholics have misdirected zeal without knowledge (cf. Rom. 10:2) and faith in the wrong object, which should only be Christ. Having faith in Christ and a combination of someone or something else (like the Mass) is not saving faith.  One must wonder whether they know the Lord or not.

To clear something up the Reformed teaching is that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and that God alone gets the glory--"Salvation is of the Lord" (per Jonah 2:9 is their stand). Catholicism adds works to faith and merit to grace, teaching that they are necessary, but not sufficient and must be improved upon with our cooperation with God, helping Him out, as it were.  Grace is not only necessary but wholly sufficient and needs no aid on our part to participate. Faith doesn't save, no matter how great it is, but the object saves (i.e., Jesus Christ).  What one doesn't usually hear is that Paul was angry at the Galatians for teaching "another gospel" and pronounced a curse on them--this is what Catholics are doing, as they change Paul's doctrine to suit their traditions, ideas, and notions.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Genuine Repentance Is The Requisite For Salvation

Salvation is a summons to faith and is a turning from sin to God. Some believers refer to their salvation experience as when they repented or forsook sin. Paul says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret..." (2 Cor. 7:10). God isn't fooled by mere outward show: He says, "Rend your hearts and not your garments" (Joel 2:13). William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, deplored the rise of salvation without repentance.

Billy Graham says that genuine repentance and saving or true faith go hand in hand and are complementary to each other; faith is like the flip side of the penitent coin. Repentance is a recurring motif in the Bible. Jesus opened His ministry proclaiming, "Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand." One must bring forth the fruits of repentance for it to be real (cf. Matt. 3:8: "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance"). Faith and repentance are linked or coupled by Luke in Acts 20:21, "Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul said, "...Repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with [your] repentance."

Repentance is not a one-time act but according to Martin Luther a progressive lifelong event. We never stop repenting. This was the first of Luther's Ninety-FiveTheses.

Repentance is "coming clean" and it is "throwing in the towel." It is more than "eating your humble pie," and it is not a human work but the work of God in the heart. Watchman Nee says, "Our end is God's beginning." We all have to come to our limits or the end of ourselves. 2 Tim. 2:24 says that God "grants" repentance. "Then to the Gentiles God has also granted repentance that leads to life" (Acts 11:18). It is a gift.

It is doing an about-face, doing a 180-degree turn, or making a U-turn. You renounce and repudiate sin--all your sins. Note that is imperative--it is a mandate. It is not simply regretted, feeling sorry, or emotionalism. Attrition is like feeling sorry over the consequences like getting caught. Esau had attrition and regretted what he had done. Contrition is true repentance. "A broken and contrite heart, you will not despise..." (Ps. 51:17).

We are commanded to preach repentance: "And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:47). "Unless you repent you shall likewise perish," Jesus said in Luke 13:3.

The Greek word metanoia means "afterthought" or to "think after." One must have a complete change of heart: intellect, affection, and will. Our whole being and soul is involved.   Soli Deo Gloria!